As union projectionists continue to picket outside Century Theatres, protesting what they claim are unfair hiring practices by the theater, Northwestern students are rallying behind the union’s cause.
Members of the Motion Picture Projectionist and Video Technician Local 110 have formed picket lines in front of the new Church Street Plaza multiplex since Nov. 15, 2000, when their presence prevented construction workers from completing the building and caused delays of the theater’s opening events.
Weinberg freshmen Alex Sherman and Adam Harris have started a boycott of the theater’s concessions to show Century Theatres that they support the picketing projectionists.
Al Brenkus, secretary treasurer of the union, said 14 projectionist union members have applied for positions at Century Theatres and have been turned down.
Brenkus said Wednesday that union projectionists would continue to protest what they believe are unfair hiring practices by Century Theatres.
“We’re just letting the general public know that this is wrong, that this is not equal opportunity employment,” Brenkus said. “We believe we’ve been discriminated against. All we wanted to do was give one of the 14 an opportunity to prove themselves as good projectionists.”
Nancy Klasky, vice president of marketing for Century Theatres, defended the theater’s projection quality and hiring practices in a statement Wednesday.
“Century Theatres adheres to the highest projection standards that exist in the industry, both in Evanston and throughout all of our theaters,” Klasky said. “We are proud of the presentation at the Century 12 and CineArts 6, and we are appreciative of the excellent reception we’ve received.
“We have received no complaints about our film presentation.”
But after Sherman and Harris watched what they say was a poor-quality reel of film Sunday at the theater, the two thought the scratchy film might be related to Century Theatres’ hiring practices.
When Sherman and Harris left the theaters, they remembered the projectionist union picketers they had seen protesting outside.
After talking to the union projectionists, Sherman and Harris sent an e-mail to residents of Willard Residential College asking students to boycott Century Theatres. The e-mail has since been forwarded to other listservs across NU’s campus.
“There are things we can do to let management know that we do not approve of their business practices governed by corporate greed and discrimination,” the letter reads. “Therefore, we are hereby calling for a boycott of the theater’s concession stand.”
So far, Harris and Sherman said, the responses they have received have mostly been from students who have chosen to boycott the theater entirely. But Harris and Sherman said resistance in the form of not patronizing the concession stands at Century Theatres is more practical and can also be effective.
“We can’t expect students to boycott the theater. It’s just not pragmatic,” Harris said. “We thought about it and the idea came up that they are making most of their money off concessions.”
Brenkus said most theaters on average make 85 percent of their profits from their concession stands, so although the union would be better served if students and other Evanston residents boycotted Century Theatres entirely, union members appreciate the support of the students who resist.
“We feel our protest is necessary because a number of people are out of work now, even though too many screens are being built,” Brenkus said. “All we want to say is, please, just hire our people. They have experience, they know what they’re doing and they do an excellent job.”
